How effective are impact bumpers

[DARISC]

Are they "5 mph" bumpers (no damage other than to the bumper at impacts up to that speed?).

[Dantilla]

Which car? The big bumper pads on '74-'89 911s are very effective at preventing damage.

[tahoe_snow]

I was rear ended at about 5mph last year. The only damage was to my valance which was pushed into my tail pipe. I have two new bumper shocks sitting on my bench right now ready to be installed. I thought about going to an RS style bumper, but this changed my mind.

[randywebb]

The big bumper pads on '74-'89 911s are either 3 or 5 mph bumpers. Not sure which.

[azasadny]

The first summer I had my '74 (2002) a woman on a cellphone smacked my rear while I was at a red light and it just broke my tailight cover but really screwed up her fron valence and her front bumper and hood. She was driving some late-model Pontiac scheiss mobile and her car definitely got the worst of it and my impact bumpers really did their magic. I replaced them shortly after...

[Mysterytrain]

Which always makes me wonder if aluminum bumpers of some sort are being used behind all that fancy fiberglass.

[randywebb]

true on most late model cars - an Al beam is mounted -- & the bumper cover is not FG, but a flexible polymer of some sort.

is that what you meant?

[Mysterytrain]

Randy..I understand that the modern flex bumpers have some structure behind them. What I notice very often posted here is that many pelicans seem to be hanging fiberglass front and rear bumpers without much of anything to back them up. Seems ok for race car but is awful risky on the street.

[PcarPhil]

This happened to the PO of my SC. Hit in the rear by a minivan...





Then I got it and made a few changes...

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Risky??? Three, five, 30 or 50-mph bumpers, it makes little difference. My wife was rear-ended in our Boxster at about 40 by a Ford Excursion--driver dealing with his kids in the back seat, foot on the throttle--while she was stopped waiting to make a legal left turn on as four-lane hghway. Eight broken ribs, moderate concussion, totaled Boxster.

Guys, don't worry about love-taps on your cute little bumperettes, fear the cellphoning moron in the 6,000-pound cruise missile. Then tell me about your rubber pads and bumper pistons.

I have zero impact protection from the rear--RS fiberglass bumper--but when I come up to a light or stop sign, my eyes are 98 percent on the rear-view mirror and I always leave myself an out. I also have LED taillights, a CHMSL ( on an '83 SC) and an extra set of mercury-switched motorcycle LED taillights. That is my idea of impact protection, not rubber baby-buggy bumpers.

[island911]

Originally posted by Formerly Steve Wilkinson
. ..
Guys, don't worry about love-taps on your cute little bumperettes, fear the cellphoning moron in the 6,000-pound cruise missile. Then tell me about your rubber pads and bumper pistons.
....

You make a valid point. However, you should consider the likelyhood of of being hit at each speed. Also, it is (imo) a luxury to have a car that can take up to a 5mph hit without sustaining any damage. --who wants to deal with those bodyshops, and all the hassle resulting from just a little bump?

The 5mph impact bumpers are very structurally efficient (strong/lightweight) --which also means they they hold shape, whereas the plastic bumpers often fade (paint plastisizers) and warp, just from sitting outside. --of course the SC/Carrera foamed 'rubber' pads do share the distortion problem; though not as bad as a thermoplastic counterpart.

Most bumpers now days are polypro over styrofoam --one use, with a Best if used by... quality. The SC/Carrera impact bumpers are of a completely different quality level. --engineered for life. . .so to speak.

[randywebb]

I'll add that a lot of those bumper covers cost about $300 -- a little tap and you replace that much... just happens to be below almost all insurance deductible limits...

[dd74]

This is another "you can't beat stock" topic. The impact bumpers are very well engineered and incredibly solid.

To give a structural idea how solid they are, one should know that to completely remove all components of the stock bumper, it could take a body shop two days' worth of bumper and bumper shock removal - in short, a lot of cutting. Sure, you might end up 100 #s lighter with f/g bumpers. But at what cost when you see how much demo work needs to be done to make the most of f/g bumpers?

[PcarPhil]

I guess the bumpers can work well - if you receive a bumper to bumper impact.

In the pic I posted above you can see what happens when a SC is at euro ride height (or slightly below) and a minivan is at US-spec height. The minivan bumper went over the SC bumper.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

dd74, yes, I know enough to remove everything associated with the original bumpers, not just the bumper itself, and I don't really care how long it takes a body shop to do the work. I'm my own body shop, and I have all the time in the world.

[Wavey]

Originally posted by Formerly Steve Wilkinson
[B]r--but when I come up to a light or stop sign, my eyes are 98 percent on the rear-view mirror and I always leave myself an out./B]

That's just about the wisest thing ever posted on Pelican. Drive like everyone else is out to get you, don't let yourself get boxed in, and plan an escape route in advance.

[mede8er]

One of my main considerations for removing the widebody kit from Bluebird, outside of returning to the classic narrow body look, is to re-install the original shocks/bumpers......

Driving amongst retiree's in South Florida can be a harrowing experience....

[Dantilla]

Stephan- As always, great points.

But.......

A friend has had his SC bumped into three times. Every time, the freaked-out driver going "Oh, no! I just hit a Porsche!", thinking it will be mega-bucks to fix. Then my friend calmly got out of the car, went to the rear, and showed the cell phone wielding idiot that there was no damage, and drove away.

The factory bumpers are nice to have on a daily driver, to prevent parking lot dings and such.

But for an occasionally driven car, like my long hood, following Stephan's example is the way to go.

[Mysterytrain]

Driving amongst retiree's in South Florida can be a harrowing experience....

lol, I understand completely, my observations when visiting Florida is that the seniors and the juniors that are out on the road are both heavily medicated. I've always loved the 3 lane, lane change sans signal to the exit ramp. Have mercy!

Interesting post..I agree that there isn't much that is going to protect our cars from an SUV. I too, keep one eye in the mirror when stopped and try to avoid having a distracted driver behind me.

One of the more interesting mods that I have seen is the removal of the bumper pads and the smoothing of the rear bumper. Looks nice, you still have the bumper shocks in place so it offers a bit more protection then a piece of fiberglass.

[Craig 930 RS]

DD74 said:

"This is another "you can't beat stock" topic. The impact bumpers are very well engineered and incredibly solid.

To give a structural idea how solid they are, one should know that to completely remove all components of the stock bumper, it could take a body shop two days' worth of bumper and bumper shock removal - in short, a lot of cutting. Sure, you might end up 100 #s lighter with f/g bumpers. But at what cost when you see how much demo work needs to be done to make the most of f/g bumpers?"
-----------
'Upgrading' to fiberglass bumpers just might be way, way overrated.
The factory sectioned / extruded aluminum bumpers are extraordinarily strong & light. For track duty, I certainly intend to
keep the aluminum bumpers. A huge hit into something such as a pole or even a direct hit into anything will certialy be aided by the dispertion / battering ram effect of a wide sectioned aluminum extrusion.

Plus, have you seen what it takes to total out the rear of a 911? Not
Much.